Board, ball and paddle games



June 4, 1957 D. CHRlSTIAN BOARD, BALL AND PADDLE GAMES Filed Aug. 1, 1955" INVENTOR. D 0NALO awe/527A Y BM United States This invention relates to a novel ball game employing paddles manipulated by opposing players to drive the ball back and forth across a game board in an effort to evade the opponents paddle and pocket the ball at the opponents end of the board for scoring purposes. The invention is herein illustratively described by reference to the presently preferred forms thereof; however, it will be recognized that certain variations and modifications therein, especially with respect to details may be made without departing from the patentable subject matter involved. The present application for patent is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 386,205, filed October 15, 1953, now abandoned.

The highly popular game of Ping-pong is a fast delightful game but one requiring a certain amount of skill for a player even to participate. Also it is a game requiring a considerable floor area and the activity of the game is such that the participating players must stand up in order to play successfully. It is unplayable out of doors if the wind is blowing very strongly because of the very light weight of the Ping-pong balls.

The present invention provides a game which is equally as fast and delightful if not more so in some respects than the game of Ping-pong and which overcomes the above-described limitations of the latter game. That is, the novel ball and paddle game herein disclosed ofi'ers significant therapeutic values, it has an interesting and engaging appeal conducive to relaxation, and it offers a type of non-strenuous exercise providing for coordination and dexterity development. It requires only a comparatively small amount of floor area in which to be played, it permits the board to be placed on the floor or in an elevated position so that the players may sit, kneel or stand according to their own choice, and it can be played equally well indoors or out of doors, for the factor of Wind presents no problem.

Another and highly important object of the invention is such 'a game which can be played by small children, invalids, victims of cerebral palsy, etc., as well as by active adults and youths, and which without any previous skill or training in its play can be enjoyed by any and all of such persons. Although skill is not required to enjoy the game, skill can be acquired in its play. Nevertheless, it is a game in which a skilled player can enjoy playing against a relatively unskilled player and vice versa.

In view of the foregoing and other objects and the fact that the game can readily be manufactured at relatively low cost and in a highly rugged and durable form, it is ideally suited for use in grammar schools, nurseries, hospitals, therapeutic wards, etc., as well as in individual homes.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention in brief terms comprises the combination of a set of paddles and a suitable missile, preferably a small wooden ball about the size of a medium-size marble, which is struck by said paddles back and forth across the game board, the latter being the principal characterizingimple ment of the game. Such game board of generally rectanatent "ice gular proportions, has a substantially flat playing surface and a retaining rail extending substantially around the entire perimeter thereof. A dividing bar extends across the width of the board intermediate the ends thereof at a spacing above the playing surface somewhat to exceed the ball diameter. One or more openings or pockets formed in opposite ends of the board adjacent the rail and individually occupying a small fraction of the boards total width, serve as the goals for the ball in building up a game score.

The paddles are of generally elongated form, one end being provided with a handle and the opposite end being provided with a substantially straight, transverse edge which is intended to he slid or scraped on the playing surface of the board with the paddle held in upright position in striking or intercepting the ball. The object in general is to drive the ball past the opponents paddle and into one or another of the goal openings or pockets on the opponents side of the board, using direct and bank shots as may best suit the continuously changing nature of the play. The ball must not be driven over the retaining rail, nor must it pass over the center bar in approaching a pocket in the opponents end of the board if the score is to count.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully evident from the following description thereof by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiments.

Figure l is a perspective view of the game board structure in one form.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the game board taken on line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a paddle used in playing the game.

Figure 4 shows a wooden ball forming the missile or playing element.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified game board structure.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail of the game board structure taken on line 66 in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detail section through the game board structure taken on line 7-7 in Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the illustrated game board 10 comprises the generally rectangular flat bottom panel 11 formed of Masonite, plywood or other suitable material, and is preferably about two and one-half feet Wide and four feet long. A side rail 12 extends around the entire periphery of the playing board and projects upwardly perpendicular to its playing surface about two and onehalf inches. This rail serves as a bank and retainer wall for the game missile rolled about on the flat playing surface of the board.

Pocket openings and pockets 13, 15, 16 and 18 are formed in the respective corners of the playing board, and pocket openings and pockets'14 and 17 are formed in opposite ends of the board intermediate the sides thereof adjacent the bank rail. Preferably all of these pockets are of about the same size, materially exceeding the size of the ball and individually occupying a small fraction of the total width and length of the board, as shown.

An elevated divider bar 24 is mounted on the game board to extend across the width of the board intermediate its opposite ends at an elevation above the playing surface somewhat exceeding the diameter of the ball to be used in the game. In order for a player to score by causing the ball to drop into one of the pockets at the opponents end of the board such ball must pass beneath the divider bar 24.

The support for the board comprises the transversely extending underlying bars 21 and 22 situated adjacent the inner sides of the end pockets and elevating the playing surface of the board with respect to an underlying support surface such as a floor or table top (not shown) i i tly t ccommodate.theihan ing.pockets themselves. An underlying brace bar 23 extends longitudinally of the board between the supporting rails 21 and lata esat en iute medi ithe si eeedges otztheiheard, Ihisbraeebay t fiea h layinaboardpanekandrailso b e it summ n 1. 1 Lan 22.

Ihesame p dd ass-she l. '-.-Fi-gu ei :has ri ss erally rectapgnlar flat paddle sup ape 2,61;fr.:st1jking;th bfll nanda h nd1es27- Prefer bly; thezendaed ah at ubstantially;:straighbedge 3:. iq lii r r e nches :kzng. The .playing .4 .s-Pre er h yein th term QfIs' CIOHHdE'WQGdGH ;ball about the size of a marble (about three-quarterseoflan nch inrd ameter ;b.e i1.1g reeognizedcthat: other materials PPlQXimfiElY w .1 aleut;to waddinere'sil-ienceanddensity may; be-substit-utedrgtherefor. :Thegamehas; a very satfae orvuacewhenmvondenibali istusedcwhcre-as a heavy 111d 5 be-iunsatisfiactoryi would a ball as -Pflug ball. :Rubherzwonld.also not-be as sot (29d. ltzrwillabeinoted thatithe pace. of the gfimegis inz'lai germeasnregdeterminedibytheproperties of, theggame missile fon bouncing from. the paddle and a Qi DII bouncing-immune bank rail 12, in executing ank .hQtS. andtoffthesend sections-.of the rail.

=:I 1:;p1ay:ing:the;game the players stand; kneel or-sit at Opposite. endslotlthaboard and, holdinga paddle in one hand, alternately drive the ball 25 back and fort-h across the lengthofrthe board,usingbank shots and-directshots H'LBHLfittQIHPILtDIPQCkfiI the ball-in one of the pockets at th ioppollents end .of the board. Since-it is-somewhat easiergtoipocketstheball in the corner pockets, these are preferablvuassigneda relatively lowwscore such as one point, whereas the intermediate pockets 14 and' 17 make somewhat more difiicult-goals-andare assigned ahigher score such as a count of two-points. The-first-player to :EflCh than total score :of r 2 1 is the winner.

it; :is preferredzas a rule of the game that the-paddle must be held in an upright position with its loweredge extending ;parallel to and normally contacting'the playing surface of the board. 7 The center bar 24 is a'definite dividingline which-'must-not be passed by the pl-ayers hand or paddle, lest a'penalty, such asa free shot, be assigned. A free shot is also assigned if one of the players knocks theball over the side rail or, optionally, if one 0f::the players-knocksthe ball over the dividing bar 24. In;any;event,'- if a player'causes the-ball to-pass over the dividingwbar in-approaching an opponents pocket, the score does-not count if thebalk-happens to drop into the pocketonthat shot. In all cases a penalty free shot cannotbe resisted by theopponenh'nor' the ball touched until thebal'lhas struckand bounced'fromthe' end rail at-the opponents-end of 'the' board. Preferably also theball or marble can be stopped at any time with the paddle so :as to execute a shot toward the opponents end oftheboard with the ball-stationary. Neither the hand nor arm can be used-'to'block, goals nor to stop a marble, nor to execute-a shot. 7 If one player knocks the balliover the side rail without the ball being touched by the other player-or his'paddle, then the latter, instead of having afree-shot, may, optionally in the establishment of rules, have the privilege of serving the ball.

In the modified form of the playing board shown in Figures 5, 6 and-7 the playing board panel 11 is surrounded by the side rail 12 as in' the previous example, and has pocketopenings therein at the corners and intermediate pocket-openings at the end edges of the board. The pocket openings at one end of the board are shown in Figure 5, being designated 13, 14' and 15', respectively. Also :the board is'supported by transverse rails, the rail 22' being shown in Figure 5 extending widthwise of the board:adjacent the inner edges of the pocket openings atthatcnd-of the board. A similar rail extends across the-Width of the board near the oppositev end ,thereof.

In addition, the board has two transverse rails SQ located or some other grand total g nerally. bflweenthemfi le (ofnthe ,board, .Cmeasured lengthwise) and the respective ends thereof to provide additional support and stiffening for the board. In this case no longitudinal brace is used beneath the board as in the previous example. Only one of the intermediate transverse rails 30 appears in Figure 5. This rail is also shown in Figure 7. A principal difierence between the modified board shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, and that shown in thepreccdingfigures .is inlhemannerof forming the pockets. In this case the pockets are formed by extending the side rail'1 2 below'th'e playing board panel 11, by adist'ance somewhat less than the'ball .diameter, and short of the projecting width of thetransverse support bars 22, etc. An-elongated"horizontally disposed strip 32 is then fastened across the full width of the board to close the gap between the end section of rail 12' and the adjacent support bar 22' or its counterpart at the pposite n at the oard. ,:B.referab1y;.;the; strip :32; is rabbeted in the sideofSflPPort bar 22'-.and-is nailedzto' theunderside of the side rail adownward extension,...as

shown in Figurefi. Thus ,a single: strip,extendingacross .1, A hall;-and;,paddle game-comprising a setof-pad les individually formed ;to beheld 'in one hand each by an opposing player,-a ball of small:size-in--relation-to said paddles, ;.and .a relatively-large game board comprising; ajpanel of generally elongated-rectangular proportions having .aplaying surface which is flat throughout ,the extent of:.said board and across which the ball is rolled back andiforthwhen struck-by the paddles during play,v a ball-retaining rail extending substantially around the entire perimeter of said playing surface and having'an inside face projecting upwardly from the plane of the board in generally perpendicular relationship therewith to serve-as a bank from which the ball bounces on impact. therewith, '-and an elongated divider element mounted onsaidgame board to extend across the width thereof intermediate the ends --of'su,ch board atan velevation above said playing surface permitting said ball to pass freely therebeneath, said panel having one pocket opening therein at each of its'four-corners and at least one pocket opening-therein-at each end generally'intermediate'the corner pockets, said pockets all being formed by openings in said game boardpanel adjacent said rail and of a.-sizeat least severaltimes the size of the ball, such-openings having a dimension measured widthwise of said-panel which is at .leasta plurality of times the balls diameter but is a small fraction of the 'boards width.

2. A--ball and paddle game board comprising a panel.

of generally elongated rectangular proportions having a playing 'surface'which is fiat throughout the extent of said board, aball-retaining rail extending substantiallyaround. the" entire perimeter of said playing surface and having pact therewith, and an elongated-divider element mounted on said game board-to extendacross the width thereof intermediateathe ends of such board at an'elevationabove said playing :surfacepennitting said ball to pass freely therebeneathgsaid ,panel having onepocket opening therein at each of its four corners and at least one pocket opening therein at each end generally intermediate the corner pockets, said pockets all being formed by openings in said game board panel adjacent said rail, such openings having dimensions measured widthwise and 0 lengthwise of said board which are material fractions of the boards width and length respectively, whereby the openings are adapted to trap a ball rolling rapidly across them.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

